Hair accessory organizer and storage unit

ABSTRACT

A hair products and jewelry organizer storage system having a base and an inner storage compartment, such as a hollow vessel, with a top and bottom end. The bottom end is closed, supported by a base element. A top end may either be open or may otherwise be nominally covered such as by a lid or removable cover element. The storage vessel and bottom base are augmented by adding hinged doors mounted on the base. The doors include organizer features to increase the utility of the invention such as hooks, bars, holes, slats, slots, notches, protrusions, and such elements which are useful in securing items such as those used for the hair and jewelry. Furthermore the organizer can have additional features such as vertical and horizontal posts, rods, molded elements, drawers and trays for the organization and storage of hair accessory and jewelry items.

FIELD OF INVENTION

A product is necessary for storing all types of hair accessories. It isdifficult to store hair accessory items in a single location becausethere are such a wide variety of types, sizes and configurations of hairaccessories. Although there are storage systems on the market todaywhich utilize bins, spindles, drawers and pockets, these do not enablevisibility or accessibility to individual items. These typical storagedevices enable containment of most small items but do not enable thestorage and organization of headbands. An organizer for hair accessoriesis needed that is easy to use and allows the user to see and access eachitem independently. There is currently no product on the market that canhold head bands, barrettes, hair ties/elastics, ribbons, scrunchies,auto barrettes, brushes, combs, hair products (such as hairspray), smallclips, and jewelry in one compact unit whereby each item is accessedindependently. References Cited:: U.S. Patent Documents. 6,672,463 B2January 2004 Dashefsky 211/13.1 6,688,316 B1 February 2004 Klug 132/2866,595,609 B1 July 2003 Greiner 312/321.5 6,276,368 B1 August 2001Giamalva 132/201 6,202,851 B1 March 2001 Walker 206/579 6,102,216 August2000 Frank 211/85.3 5,176,263 January 1993 Caruso 211/13 5,168,985December 1992 Shih 206/45.34 5,064,077 November 1991 Mitchell 211/60.13,847,285 November 1974 Leprince 211/1.5 2,550,621 April 1949 Tau

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Ultimate Hair Accessory Organizer is unique in two ways:

1. It stores all types of hair accessories including head bands, alltypes of barrettes and clips, claw clips, hair pins, hair elastics(ponytail elastics), scrunchies and ribbons. The invention also holdshair products such as hair spray, gels, mousse, and other toiletryitems, as well as brushes and combs. The invention can also hold jewelryincluding rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

2. It enables the user to access each item independent of all otheritems, in one compact and attractively designed unit. Each accessoryitem can be pulled and returned to the unit without disturbing otheritems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It should be understood that a wide range of changes and modificationscan be made to the embodiment described here in. It is thereforeintended that the foregoing description illustrates rather than limitsthis invention, and that it is the following description and claims,including all equivalents, which defines the invention.

Note: The preferred embodiment of the unit is made of molded plastic.Different types of plastic are necessary depending on the strength andflexibility necessary for the various embodiments.

A hair products and jewelry storage and organizer system, whichcomprises;

A storage compartment such as a nominally hollow storage vessel(s) 8.The interior of the vessel 8 may include optional organizer featuressuch as crossbars, guides, or other features not shown, to holdparticular devices and keep the items to be stored upright or separated.

One possible example of such an embodiment is where a storage vessel 8could have divider elements to separate hair brushes from combs, orperhaps to keep combs and brushes upright. In the embodiment which isdiscussed as an example embodiment in detail, the storage vessel 8 ismade primarily of plastic (in this case clear—absent of pigment) with around cross section in the range of 242 millimeters tall and 130 mmdiameter. Other obvious embodiments could use various shapes anddimensions and materials as can be perceived by those skilled in theart. Furthermore, several more additional upright vessels could beincorporated into the invention such as a plurality of clear cylindricaltubes to keep combs separate from hair brushes, or to allow severalusers to share the organizer without mixing the hair care items of theusers. Other possible configurations of the inner storage compartmentwould be a square or rectangular vessel, or could be an enclosedplastic, glass or wooden cabinet. Within the present description, theexample of the upright tubular embodiment 8 shall be used to describehow to make and use the novel storage organizer.

The bottom end of the storage vessel 8 is closed, supported by a baseelement 1 as shown in FIG. 2. A top end may either be open or mayotherwise be nominally covered such as by a tray 16 and/or a lid 15 orother such cover element.

In one embodiment such as shown in FIG. 7 the base element 1 has arecessed middle 17 in order to receive and hold stationary the vesselwhich sits on top of said Base 1. It is possible to not have thisrecessed area but the vessel would need an alternative method foraffixing to the base.

The lid 15 typically would have a knob or handle 19 to hold when openingand closing the vessel top 8. Although a lid 15 is not necessary to useand practice the invention, it would help to keep the contents cleanfrom dust and adds to the aesthetics of the unit. In other embodiments,the cover may be vented, to allow vapors to escape and prevent moisturebuildup, and in some cases no lid or cover may be desired at all, toallow a user of the organizer, quick one hand access, thus versatilityis incorporated with the design of the invention.

The preferred embodiment includes a tray 16 which can fit precisely ontop of the vessel 8. The tray has a dimension that is slightly largerthan the cylinder. An extruded ring of plastic exists on the bottom ofthe tray, 1 cm from the edge, and is of an exact dimension to fitdirectly inside the cylinder to securely hold the tray in place on topof the cylinder 8. The primary purpose of the tray is for thecontainment of small hair accessories, toiletry items such as lip glossor small jewelry such as bracelets and earrings. The tray in theembodiment described here in is divided 20. The tray can be divided intomultiple sections as shown in FIG. 6 or not divided at all.

The tubular storage vessel 8 and bottom base 1 can be augmented byadding doors; a first door 2 and an additional door 2, mounted on theunit by the use of a hinged arm design that enables the doors to openand close. The doors include organizer features to increase the utilityof the invention such as hooks, bars, holes, gaps, slots, slats,notches, protrusions, and such elements which are useful in securinghair accessories and jewelry.

The unit utilizes upright rods mounted in the base element to create adoor hinging system. In such an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, thedoors of the organizer are connected to an upright rod 11, allowing therods to support the doors, and where the doors can open and close,swinging on hinges 9 as attached to the rods. In a preferred embodiment,the hinge and support mechanism is enabled as shown in FIG. 2. The doorsin this embodiment are made of molded plastic. These doors are molded toinclude two curved elongated elements extending from the main body ofthe door 9, with one hinge element 9 near the top and one near thebottom. Each of the extended hinge elements are connected to the doorbody 2 on one end; at the other end the cross section of the end 12includes a hole of sufficient diameter to receive the outer diameter ofthe rod 11. In this hinge embodiment is an easy means of connectingdoors 2 to the base 1 using upright rods 11. Furthermore, in thisembodiment, the vertical rods 11 are mostly unencumbered, and provideopen access to attach hair (claw) clips o the rods for direct storageusing the spring clip provided by the hair clip, grasping onto the rodwith sufficient strength of grip to support the weight of the clip andkeep it in place in an organized manner for easy access and visiblesorting and selecting such hair clips as well as certain types of hairelastics (wrap style).

Connecting both upright rods 11 in the back of the unit is a curved bar13. Attached to the end of the bar 13 in this preferred embodiment is acap 12 with a cross section that is the same circumference as the rods11 so that the cap 12 will fit securely over the top of the rod. Thesame configuration appears on both ends of the bar. In this embodimentplaced on top of the cap 11 for decorative purposes is a ball 14. Thebar 13 detaches from the rod 11 by lifting the cap 12 off of the rod 11.Both ends of the bar 13 can be detached from the rod 11 in the same way.Once the cap 12 is lifted off the bar 13, the bar swivels open becausethe cap end 12 which remains secured to the rod 11 rotates on the rod11. The bar 13 swiveling open allows for easy access to hair elastics,scrunchies, hair ties and jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets. Thepreferred embodiment described here has a single bar 13 however multiplebars 13 can be added to the unit designed with a molded piece of plasticthat would enable the bar to snap on/off of the rods 11 for access tothe bar 13.

Another feature which can be included in the organizer is a storage trayor drawer mounted into or onto the base 1. It can be made of moldedplastic, and sized to fit on top of the base 1 or to be an internalembodiment of the base 1 which consists of a drawer with a knob orhandle to open and close said drawer. There can exist multiple drawersor storage trays as part of the base 1.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

FIG. 1 is a front view of the preferred embodiment with (two) doors 2closed. In this preferred embodiment of each door, there exists aplurality of protruded slats 3, 5, 6 (aligned both horizontally andvertically) designed to hold barrettes of a variety of sizes and design.The number, dimension and positioning of said slats 3, 5, 6 can varydepending on user requirements and preferred design. Vertical slats 6accommodate large hair clips which would be more common for older girlsand adults. Small barrettes are adequately held on smaller horizontalslats 3, 5.

In this preferred embodiment of each door, there exists a plurality ofprotruded tabs 4 which appear as circles protruding from the door 2.Each tab is connected to the door through a right angle curve 20 of themolded plastic which extends from the bottom of the tab to the door.Each tab 4 is of an adequate dimension (minimally 3 cm) to hold avariety of hair scrunchies, hair ties, round elastics and ribbons whichloop over the top of the tab 4.

In this preferred embodiment of the doors 2, each door 2 is curved toalign with the curve of the base 1 and covers a minimum of 50% of thecircumference of the base (16 cm) and is 26 cm in height. An alternatelyshaped base would require corresponding adjustments to the shape of thedoor.

There is existent on the bottom of each door a (one) tiny protrusion or“pimple” 7 (approximately 1 cm in length) the purpose of which is to fitin a similarly sized dimple in the base 1 to secure the doors 2 in theclosed position.

FIG. 2

In this figure, the doors 2 are presented in the open position whereasthe doors 2 are able to open because of hinged arms 9, (located on thetop and bottom of the door), which extend to rods 11 and contain openloops or cross sections at the end of the arms which drop over the rod11.

The rods 11, located in the back of the unit, extend from the base 1 tothe top of the unit. (See FIG. 3 for a detailed view) The rods 11 aresecured by means of hollow tubes 10 molded to the base 1 in which therods 11 are placed to secure them to the unit and provide stability.

The hinged design of the doors 2 enables them to swing open wideexposing the cylinder 8 located inside and mounted centrally on the base1.

A tray, approximately 2.5 cm deep sits on top of the cylinder 8 and iscovered by a lid 15 which fits securely on top of the tray 16.

FIG. 3

At the back of the unit is a bar 13 that connects to the top of bothrods 11. The bar 13 is curved such that it aligns with the samecurvature of the base 1 (18 cm). The bar 13 attaches to the rod 11 bythe use of a disc 12 permanently attached to the bar with a crosssection that is of a dimension to adequately fit over the rod and securethe bar in place. The bar 13 can be lifted off of the rod 11 on one endwith the other end secured to its rod 11 but able to rotate. The bar 13can swing out away from the unit on one end to enable the user to placeitems on and take items off of the bar 13. Both ends of the bar 13 canswing open.

In this preferred embodiment of the unit, a ball 14 is permanentlyattached to the top of the disc 12 (which is attached to each end of thebar referenced above) for decorative purposes. The ball 14, made ofplastic is approximately 2.5 cm high and is centered on the disc 12.

FIG. 4

A lid 15 made of molded plastic fits securely on top of the tray fordecorative purposes and to keep debris and dust out of the tray 16and/or cylinder 8. A ball 19 is secured on the apex of the lid 15 fordecorative purposes and to enable the user to easily lift the lid 15 offof the tray 16 and/or cylinder 8.

FIG. 5

This figure shows a view of the underside of the tray 16. On the bottomof the tray extruded ring of plastic, 1 cm from the edge, and is of anexact dimension to fit directly inside cylinder 8 to securely hold thetray 16 in place on top of the cylinder 8.

FIG. 6

In this preferred embodiment of the unit, the tray 16 has been dividedin three equal sections with dividers 21 made of the same plastic.

FIG. 7

The unit sits on a base 8 which in this preferred embodiment is round inshape and approximately 130 mm in diameter. A recess 17 of approximately12 cm is centered in the middle of the base for placement of the hollowcylinder 8. Two molded hollow tubes 10 equal to the height of the baseand the circumference of the rods 11 are positioned toward the back ofthe unit to house the rods 11 and hold them securely in position.

1. A hair accessory, products and jewelry storage and organizer system,or the like comprising: a unit with a base whereas said base supportsall elements of the invention, such as but not limited to, thosedescribed in claim 1, whereas said base has a recess which is designedto house a hollow cylinder or storage vessel which resides in the centerof the base and is of sufficient size to house hair brushes, combs andhair products; and a plurality of doors attached to said base whereasthe doors can open because of hinged arms, of which arms extend fromsaid doors to (upright) rods inserted in said base and the arms containopen loops or cross sections at the end of the arms which drop over therod, and whereas each door contains a plurality of slats (vertical andhorizontal), tabs, and other protrusions for holding accessories,whereas the number, dimension and positioning of said protrusions canvary depending on user requirements and a bar which is connected to andrests between the rods, which are connected to the base, and whereaseach end of the bar has a cross section which fits precisely over theend of the upright rod to hold the bar in place and whereas each end ofthe bar can be lifted off of the rod and rotated out for access and atray which sits securely on top of the central cylinder or storagevessel which is sized proportionally to fit securely on top of thestorage vessels and can be divided by the use of molded or insertedplastic to allow for separation of items stored in the tray and a coverwhich sits securely on top of the divided tray which would include ahandle, knob or other decorative item for easy placement and removal ofsaid cover
 2. A hair accessory and jewelry organizer according to claim1, further comprising: a base of significant depth so as to include adrawer(s) which is an embodiment of the internal portion of the base andpulls open from the front of the unit with a small knob or handle
 3. Ahair accessory and jewelry organizer as in claim 1 or 2, furthercomprising: a permanent wall on the back of the unit similar in styleand function to the doors (on the front of the unit) for purposes ofadditional storage capacity which would include slats, tabs, and/orother protrusions
 4. A hair accessory and jewelry organizer as in claim1 or 2, further comprising: a cylinder or storage vessel, which sits onthe base, comprised of a plurality of drawers whereas each drawer is asection of the cylinder or storage vessel and whereas each drawer orsection swivels open or is opened by pulling the drawer straight out intraditional fashion
 5. A hair accessory and jewelry organizer as inclaim 1 or 2, further comprising: a plurality of rods as described inclaim 1 which are mounted on the base as in claim 1 or by inserting therods in recesses cut into the base whereas there is no obstruction onthe top of the rod leaving it accessible from the top
 6. A hairaccessory and jewelry organizer as in claim 1 or 2, further comprising:a central cylinder or storage vessel which is divided vertically inorder to hold items upright or to keep items contained therein separatefrom each other
 7. A hair accessory and jewelry organizer as in claim 1or 2, further comprising: a plurality of cylinders or storage vessels tohold items separately; for example for the hair brushes of multipleusers to be kept separate
 8. A hair accessory and jewelry organizer asin claim 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, or 7 further comprising: a unit without adivided tray; where the central cylinder or hollow storage vessel can beof greater height than described in previous claims (where a dividedtray has been included) and which has a cover where said cover is eithersolid or vented
 9. A hair accessory and jewelry organizer as in claim 1,2, or 4 further comprising: a plurality of bars on the back of the unitas seen in the preferred embodiment in FIG.
 3. The bars can be designedin such a way that they would attach to the rods by means of a moldedpiece of plastic that is of the same curvature as the upright rod suchthat the molded piece or “mouth” can snap on the rod for attaching tothe unit and snap off for accessing hair products and jewelry that hangor are clipped on the bar. The curved molded piece that enables the barto snap on/off of the upright rod can exist on both ends of the bar toenable access to items from either side.